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Thirty-four years of Hawaii wave hindcast from downscaling of climate forecast system reanalysis

Journal Article · · Ocean Modelling
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States); University of Hawaii
  2. Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States)
  3. Univ. of Brest, Plouzane (France)
+ Show Author Affiliations
The complex wave climate of Hawaii includes a mix of seasonal swells and wind waves from all directions across the Pacific. Numerical hindcasting from surface winds provides essential space-time information to complement buoy and satellite observations for studies of the marine environment. We utilize WAVEWATCH III and SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) in a nested grid system to model basin-wide processes as well as high-resolution wave conditions around the Hawaiian Islands from 1979 to 2013. The wind forcing includes the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) for the globe and downscaled regional winds from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Long-term in-situ buoy measurements and remotely-sensed wind speeds and wave heights allow thorough assessment of the modeling approach and data products for practical application. The high-resolution WRF winds, which include orographic and land-surface effects, are validated with QuickSCAT observations from 2000 to 2009. The wave hindcast reproduces the spatial patterns of swell and wind wave events detected by altimeters on multiple platforms between 1991 and 2009 as well as the seasonal variations recorded at 16 offshore and nearshore buoys around the Hawaiian Islands from 1979 to 2013. The hindcast captures heightened seas in interisland channels and around prominent headlands, but tends to overestimate the heights of approaching northwest swells and give lower estimates in sheltered areas. Finally, the validated high-resolution hindcast sets a baseline for future improvement of spectral wave models.
Research Organization:
Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Water Power Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
FG36-08GO18180
OSTI ID:
1682357
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1338845
Journal Information:
Ocean Modelling, Journal Name: Ocean Modelling Vol. 100; ISSN 1463-5003
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (4)

Advancing the integration of spatial data to map human and natural drivers on coral reefs journal March 2018
On the improvement of wave and storm surge hindcasts by downscaled atmospheric forcing: application to historical storms journal January 2018
Seasonal forecasting of winds, waves and currents in the North Pacific journal January 2018
The Moku System: Managing Biocultural Resources for Abundance within Social-Ecological Regions in Hawaiʻi journal October 2018

Figures / Tables (18)

Table 1(p. 30)table Table 1
Table 2(p. 30)table Table 2
Table 3(p. 31)table Table 3
Table 4(p. 31)table Table 4
Table 5(p. 32)table Table 5
Figure 1(p. 33)figure Figure 1
Figure 2(p. 34)figure Figure 2
Figure 3(p. 35)figure Figure 3
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Figure 12(p. 44)figure Figure 12
Figure 13(p. 45)figure Figure 13

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Related Subjects

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER
Island sheltering
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Weather Research and Forecasting model
Wind waves